Carleton Journalists for Human Rights recently hosted an evening with Senator Roméo Dallaire in the River Building, an event that attracted more than 350 people and raised nearly $1,800 to purchase basic media equipment for journalists in Rwanda.

“Senator Dallaire was inspirational,” said co-president David Meffe. “He spoke about issues ranging from global human rights and global politics to economics and social media. We tried to give a donation to his NGO, the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, but he refused it and told us to reinvest it in the event.”

Dallaire discussed Rwanda and the role media played during the genocide. Proceeds from the evening will help send much-needed equipment, like voice recorders and microphones, to various media outlets in Rwanda. The equipment will be transported to host institutions by students working as summer interns with Carleton’s Centre for Media and Transitional Societies.

-30-

About Carleton Journalists for Human Rights:Carleton Journalists for Human Rights (CJHR) is a chapter of the international organization Journalists for Human Rights (JHR). They are a diverse group of human rights advocates dedicated to the goal of making people around the world aware of their human rights — because awareness is the first step towards eradicating abuses. The Carleton chapter does this by hosting fundraising and awareness events.

About Senator Roméo Dallaire:Dallaire served as Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission For Rwanda (UNAMIR), the ill-fated United Nations peacekeeping mission during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. He is the author of the national bestsellers Shake Hands with the Devil and They Fight like Soldiers, They Die like Children. Today, he is a senior fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies and founder of the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative.